Skip all navigation Skip to page navigation

DHHS Home | Assistance | Divisions | About DHHS | DHHS Contacts

NC Department of Health and Human Services
N.C. DPH: Chronic Disease and Injury Section
 N.C. Public Health Home
 
 

Injury and Violence Prevention Branch

Resources and Reports

The Injury and Violence Prevention Branch (IVPB) provides technical assistance and injury and violence data to those working to prevent injury and violence in North Carolina. The IVPB also works to facilitate a comprehensive, statewide approach to injury and violence prevention through collaboration and implementation of the Strategic Plan for Preventing Injuries and Violence. Reports and publications from the branch and the role of law in injury and violence prevention can be found on this page.

[+] Expand All Items Below | [-] Collapse All Items Below

Web Resources

There are several sources of injury and violence data available on the web:

The North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics (N.C. SCHS) is responsible for data collection, health-related research, production of reports, and maintenance of a comprehensive collection of health statistics. They provide high quality health information for making better informed decisions and effective health policies. The goal of the N.C. SCHS is to improve the health of all North Carolinians and their communities.

WISQARS (Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System) is an interactive database system from the Centers for Disease Control that provides customized reports of injury-related data. North Carolina specific data is available from WISQARS.

The Inventory of National Injury Data Systems is a list of 45 different federal data systems operated by 16 difference agencies and three private injury registry systems that provide nationwide injury-related data. Each data system is listed along with the agency or organization and associated web sites.

The Injury and Data Resources website from the Centers for Disease Control and prevention provides an overview of injury morbidity and mortality data and statistics available from the National Center for Health Statistics and other sources and to provide details on injury surveillance methodology and tools to assist in data analysis.

Reports

General Injury and Violence Reports and Fact Sheets

Unintentional Injury Reports

Injuries Across the Life Span

Intentional Injury Reports

For older publications, please see our contact page to find a member of our branch for further information.

Publications

North Carolina Medical Journal: Prevention and Control of Injury and Violence: Explore the November/December 2010 issue of the NCMJ featuring articles about motor vehicle crashes, unintentional falls, unintentional poisonings, suicide, sexual violence, and child maltreatment.

North Carolina and National Prevention Partners

North Carolina Partners

National Partners

  • American Public Health Association - APHA is concerned with a broad set of issues affecting personal and environmental health, federal and state funding for health programs, pollution control, programs and policies related to chronic and infectious diseases, a smoke-free society, and professional education in public health.
  • Children's Safety Network - (CSN) provides information and technical assistance to maternal and child health agencies and other organizations in efforts to reduce unintentional injuries and violence to children and adolescents.
  • National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - (NHTSA) investigates safety defects in motor vehicles, sets and enforces fuel economy standards, helps states and local communities reduce the threat of drunk drivers, promotes the use of safety belts, child safety seats and air bags, investigates odometer fraud, establishes and enforces vehicle anti-theft regulations and provides consumer information on motor vehicle safety topics.
  • Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists - CSTE is a professional association of over 1050 public health epidemiologists working in states, local health agencies, and territories. CSTE works to establish more effective relationships among state and other health agencies. It also provides technical advice and assistance to partner organizations, such as the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), and to federal public health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
  • American Association of Poison Control Centers - AAPCC member poison centers maintain a 24-hour Poison Help hotline. It is continuously staffed by pharmacists, physicians, nurses and poison information providers who are toxicology specialists. The Poison Help hotline provides immediate access to poison exposure management instructions and information on potential poisons.
  • The National Safe Kids Coalition - This is the home page for a national clearinghouse and advocacy to protect kids from their number one killer - unintentional injury.
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Injury Prevention and Control prevents death and disability from non occupational injuries, including those that are unintentional and those that result from violence.
  • Suicide Prevention Resource Center - (SPRC) provides prevention support, training, and resources to assist organizations and individuals to develop suicide prevention programs, interventions and policies, and to advance the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.
  • Safe States Alliance - The Safe States Alliance is a national non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and professional association whose mission is to serve as the national voice in support of state and local injury and violence prevention professionals engaged in building a safer, healthier America.
  • The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission - charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction.
  • National Fire Protection Association - Established in 1896, NFPA serves as the world's leading advocate of fire prevention and is an authoritative source on public safety. In fact, NFPA's 300 codes and standards influence every building, process, service, design, and installation in the United States, as well as many of those used in other countries.
  • Violence Against Women Net - VAWNET is the online resource for advocates working to end domestic violence, sexual assault, and other violence in the lives of women and their children.

Using Policy as an Injury and Violence Prevention Intervention

Injury and violence prevention laws and regulations make your life healthier and safer everyday. Laws to help prevent injury and violence often benefit other arenas. For example, in 2007, the North Carolina legislature passed House Bill 1785, the “Fire-Safety Standard and Firefighter Protection Act.” From an injury prevention perspective, this law addresses the fact that cigarettes are the leading cause of fire deaths in North Carolina and the nation. This law makes good economic sense as well because property losses due to fires from cigarettes average $1.4 million each year in North Carolina.

This law is a good example of the need for partnerships in order to have success in creating laws that will prevent injuries. The North Carolina Fire-Safe Cigarette Coalition was formed to save lives and prevent injuries and devastation from cigarette-ignited fires. The group included representatives of fire service members, consumer and disability rights advocates, medical and public health practitioners, and others, who are committed to saving lives and preventing injuries by reducing the threat of cigarette-ignited fires. The Coalition was coordinated by the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center at the University of North Carolina Health Care.

For N.C. statutes, visit the N.C. General Assembly's website.

Children

According to the National Conference of State Legislators injuries are the leading cause of death and disability for children and adolescents. Many childhood injuries can be reduced in severity or avoided all together. For example, bicycle helmets reduce severity of head injuries in the case of a collision, fencing around a swimming pool can help prevent drowning, and child-resistant safety caps on medication reduce rates of unintentional poisoning. 

Violence prevention is another key issue related to injury prevention for children and adolescents. Some laws that encompass the issues of school violence, hazing, bullying, and internet safety are discussed on the National Conference of State Legislator’s Youth Violence page.

Milestones in Injury Prevention Law and Regulation1
1966 National Highway Safety Bureau (later the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) established as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
1970 Occupational Safety and Health Act enacted by Congress.
1972 Consumer Product Safety Act, Flammable Fabrics Act, Hazardous Substances Act, and Poison Prevention Packaging Act passed by Congress.
1973 Congress enacts Emergency Medical Services System Act.
1974 Congress passes Child Abuse and Prevention and Treatment Act.
1978 Tennessee becomes the first state to enact a child passenger safety law.
1985 All states have child passenger safety laws.
1987 California enacts first legislation requiring helmets for child bicycle passengers aged 4 and younger. 
1988 Congress enacts Child Abuse Prevention, Adoption and Family Services Act.
1989 All states have enacted occupant protection laws covering children younger than four years.
1990 Howard County, Maryland, adopts law requiring children 16 years and under to wear helmets while riding as either passengers or operators of bicycles.
1993 Congress passes the Handgun Violence Prevention Act (The Brady Bill).
1997 Using consumer protection authority, Massachusetts becomes the first state to mandate child-resistant safety mechanisms on all handguns manufactured in the state.
2004 Twenty-six states have mandated hospital reporting of external cause of injury codes. Congress enacts the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act to fund youth suicide prevention.
2007 The Pool and Spa Safety Act is designed to prevent the tragic and hidden hazard of drain entrapments and eviscerations in pools and spas. Congress gave all affected pool and spa operators one year to comply with this law, with the deadline being December 19, 2008.

1 Christoffel, Tom. Injury prevention and public health: practical knowledge, skills and strategies. 2nd ed. 2005.